Image credit: Instagram @beer_n_nature
By Charlotte Cowan, The Shout New Zealand
New Zealand’s Te Aro Brewing, has been ordered to remove one of its beers from sale after it was found to be in breach of advertising standards.
According to Denise Garland of Radio New Zealand, Te Aro Brewing’s Kupe New Zealand IPA – named after the Polynesian navigator as part of its Age of Discovery series – was brought into the spotlight in July by Māori cultural advisor and tikanga expert, Dr Karaitiana Taiuru, who said the product is “highly offensive”.
The Advertising Standards Authority received two complaints, the first of which was jointly submitted by Communities Against Alcohol Harm and Turehou Māori Wardens ki Otara.
According to the ASA, the first complainant said the advertising:
• Exploits, degrades, denigrates, and demeans the mana of Kupe.
• In doing so, the same is done to the persons, peoples, and places associated with Kupe, including all his descendants.
• Referred to a comment on RNZ from Dr Karaitiana Taiuru that “Depicting and using a famous Māori and Pacifica ancestor such as Kupe for alcohol is highly offensive.”
The second complainant said the advertising was “appalling cultural appropriation of a Rangatira of significant status in Te Ao Māori and Pasifika”.
In response, Te Aro said it was never their intention to offend anyone and that the decision to include Kupe in a list of noteworthy famous explorers was due to his place as an important historical figure to all New Zealanders due to his bravery and navigational achievements.
However, the ASA upheld the complaints, stating: “The Board agreed the use of Kupe on alcohol packaging and in the advertising was likely to cause serious offence, and the naming and packaging of the product was in breach of the required high standard of social responsibility.”
The ASA said the advertisements, packaging and product name were to be removed and not used again.